Who's got a good recipe for black powder lube

[jh45gun]

Any one got a good recipe for a black powder lube that would be like SPG or Lyman black gold?? Jim

[Buckshot]

...........Jim, there are SO many good BP lubes out there! Some have differing 'Goodness' based upon how much you can use, the quality of your powder and a ton of other things, not the least being the current weather conditions :D.

Beeswax is the great equalizer and so long as the other ingredients are natural plant/animal fats/waxes and compatable, prolly 95% of them would be great. You can never go wrong with lard as an ingredient, but it has shelflife issues.

What I use is very basic and a cheat a little bit. I get beeswax, add a bit of Crisco and then add Bore Butter to it. Cheaper then straight Bore Butter, and it does a good job in the Whitworth and 58 Enfield. I know that some commercial lubes like Young Country have some lanolin in it.

One of my shooting buddies many years ago got tired of all the different lube cans, jars, tubes, tins and whatnot that he combined them all together in a double boiler. He had to add a bit of beeswax to stiffen it a bit, but came up with the most gawdawful ugly green stuff, but it worked just fine.

...........Buckshot

[wills]

Check here

http://groups.msn.com/BPCR/bulletlubes.msnw

[TCLouis]

Get ye down to the DoAll tool store and buy a stick of "DoAll Tool Saver".

It is a fine BP Lube and that big old tube will lube a BUNCH of boolits.

[utk]

DoAll ToolSaver msds:

http://www.doallsawing.com/doallcommon/MSDS/msds_Tool_Saver.pdf

DoAll Technical sheet:

http://www.doallsawing.com/doallcommon/TDS/tds_TOOLSAVER.pdf

[jh45gun]

Thanks guys :)

[omgb]

This is a very old thread, almost 20 years! Here's what I settled on after years of Crisco, Bore Butter etc. I use a mix of Bee's wax, anhydrous lanolin and castor oil. About 3/4 of the mix is bee's wax. The lanolin gathers moisture and keeps fouling soft...I think :) For really hot weather, I'll add some carnauba. This is a good hardener that will stiffen the mix but not ruin it's anti-fouling properties. I make a bunch of it and use it to dip lube minies, fill grooves on cartridge guns and cap off my cap and ball gun. For patch lube, I set aside some in a jar that was made without carnauba.

[Adam Helmer]

jh.

I have 5 butter tubs of my deceased neighbor's Secret Hungarian Formula that is the best lube stuff I ever used. Miklos told me it was pork lard, beewax, crisco and something else. It remains a mystery.

Adam

[LabGuy]

Well, I use 50/50 beeswax/unsalted lard. You might want to very the ratio depending on your climate/season. I’m in Florida.

[GregLaROCHE]

I’ve always believed that BP lube should be made with natural ingredients. That’s what I’ve always used and it’s always worked.

[junkbug]

Many N.SSA skirmish shooters I compete with use a rough 50/50 volume mix of beeswax and olive oil, adjusted for the season to make it the right thickness for ones own preference.

[Good Cheer]

In general using lanolin, olive oil and beeswax for most everything I can.
http://i.imgur.com/Nmkm58Q.jpg (https://imgur.com/Nmkm58Q)

[Winger Ed.]

There is a article about that in (I think) an older Lyman Cast book.

It talked about 'old timers' using chicken fat that had been boiled and the oil part skimmed off when it chilled.
They tried it, and it actually did real well.

[imashooter2]

There is a article about that in (I think) an older Lyman Cast book.

It talked about 'old timers' using chicken fat that had been boiled and the oil part skimmed off when it chilled.
They tried it, and it actually did real well.

Schmaltz, a staple in traditional Jewish cuisine.

[762 shooter]

Olive oil and beeswax.

As natural as you can get.

762

[Sudsy]

Olive oil and beeswax.

As natural as you can get.

762

I do the same but with avocado oil - much higher smoking temp than olive.
Does that make a difference? I've no idea really, but it's been working well for me.

[Super Sneaky Steve]

Beeswax and Lard here. Any animal fat should work.

Be ware that most of the "beeswax" found online isn't real beeswax especially the stuff from China.

[yeahbub]

Going to have to try that chcken fat thing. Sounds like just the ticket to start with for a patch lube when hunting. Maybe add some canola/avocado/olive oil for cold weather consistency.

My usual habit is to make up a tub of Emmert's lube at the lowest temperature that will melt all the ingredients, ~140 degrees F, a little heavy on the oil to keep it soft for dual use as case lube and for PP boolits when I have only a handful to size and load. Accuracy out of a .45 Colt lever action using a Lee 452-255 RF over a thin card wad and 38gr of Goex 3f compressed to the crimp groove in Starline cases ran 2.5" for seven rounds at 70 Yards, all I had good daylight for. The bore had flecks of ash in it but the steel was shiny.

Something I haven't had time to try yet is to use "basal oil" in lubes that call for vegetable oil, which is mixed with herbicide to go in through the bark on the trunk rather than spraying all that foliage to kill problem vegetation. Basal oil was explained to me as vegetable oil mixed with enough surfactant to keep it water soluble at any concentration. I've got some left after going after the Asian honeysuckle and autumn olive on the farm. The jury's still out, but it seems to me the surfactant would make it easier to clean with a wet patch.

What we need is a way to chemically compound H and O in correct ratios into the lube in such a way that they would be combined and H2O released under the heat and pressure of firing the shot, thus leaving moisture behind to keep fouling soft. As a compund, H2O would'nt exist as moisture until the shot is fired, so no danger of rust in barrels or corroded brass prior to the shot. . . . Or that's how I imagine this magical goodness. Not being a chemist, I've no idea what would be necessary to come up with such a thing, but hey, its an idea.

[Castaway]

No one’s mentioned it, but Gato Feo’s #1 is hard to beat as a patch lube, cap and ball wad lube or cartridge lube. It’s an old, resurrected Winchester lube that was republished in the NRA magazine in the early 40’s. Mutton tallow has the advantage of not going rancid as easily as other tallows and is considered superior to deer kidney tallow and bear. By weight 2:2:1 of mutton tallow, paraffin, and bees wax. I’ve yet to have a cylinder foil out or get stuff with a cap and as a cartridge lube, it keeps the fouling goopy. Stays put in the Florida sun and doesn’t migrate in a loaded cartridge

[GregLaROCHE]

No one’s mentioned it, but Gato Feo’s #1 is hard to beat as a patch lube, cap and ball wad lube or cartridge lube. It’s an old, resurrected Winchester lube that was republished in the NRA magazine in the early 40’s. Mutton tallow has the advantage of not going rancid as easily as other tallows and is considered superior to deer kidney tallow and bear. By weight 2:2:1 of mutton tallow, paraffin, and bees wax. I’ve yet to have a cylinder foil out or get stuff with a cap and as a cartridge lube, it keeps the fouling goopy. Stays put in the Florida sun and doesn’t migrate in a loaded cartridge

I have always wondered why they use both paraffin and beeswax. Why not only beeswax? Does the paraffin help if it’s really hot weather?

[BLAHUT]

So make a small batch, what ever sounds good to you, try it, see what works, what you would like it to do, and change you mix, in time you will get what you want your lube to do ???

[trails4u]

SPG has a great recipe as far as I'm concerned! :)

[BadgerShooter]

I did a chicken fat/beeswax combo. It's a little stiff for the cold weather I sometimes shoot in. I have a primitive biathlon coming up in January. Was reading some forums that mentioned adding windshield washer fluid to thin it for colder temps. Might give it a try while I'm practicing.

[GoexBlackhorn]

Bore Butter / Wonderlube

.

. ....... just kidding fellas.[smilie=s:
The last product I've used was Frontier's Bear Anti-Rust & Patch Lube.
---------------------------------

I am not a rude or aggressive Bub
That was yesterday Me.

[triggerhappy243]

Bore Butter / Wonderlube

.

. ....... just kidding fellas.[smilie=s:
The last product I've used was Frontier's Bear Anti-Rust & Patch Lube.
---------------------------------

I am not a rude or aggressive Bub
That was yesterday Me.

and jon refuses to tell what is in it. inquiring minds need to know............ if they have allergies.

[BadgerShooter]

Ive been using a lube from Flintlocks.com for a patch lube and for 36 cal Maxi balls in my underhammer. I have been getting decent results shooting in cold weather. I am practicing for a primitive biathlon - snowshoes and muzzleloaders. This morning I did a mile around the farm carrying my underhammer. It is about 5F out. When I made my lap back to my bench, I shot and did not hit a 2x3' piece of cardboard. I have been shooting around 1.5-2" at 50 yards. I think that lube must have froze up in that distance.

I tried combining windshield washer fluid with my chicken fat-beeswax combo but when it cooled, it separated so either I did something wrong or that isn't a viable solution.

Thoughts for a low temp Maxi lube?

[Milky Duck]

hmmmm I wonder if the fat off a roast of mutton will work well???? If I chill boolits in freezer for a bit and dip them into warm fat it will stick like a sticky thing to boolit.... whipe of excess should leave grooves filled nicely.....might smell interesting when fired!!!
I take it the base of boolit should be completely clean of lube to prevent it contaminating powder??

[triggerhappy243]

ive been using a lube from flintlocks.com for a patch lube and for 36 cal maxi balls in my underhammer. I have been getting decent results shooting in cold weather. I am practicing for a primitive biathlon - snowshoes and muzzleloaders. This morning i did a mile around the farm carrying my underhammer. It is about 5f out. When i made my lap back to my bench, i shot and did not hit a 2x3' piece of cardboard. I have been shooting around 1.5-2" at 50 yards. I think that lube must have froze up in that distance.

I tried combining windshield washer fluid with my chicken fat-beeswax combo but when it cooled, it separated so either i did something wrong or that isn't a viable solution.

Thoughts for a low temp maxi lube?
have you tried straight crisco?

[Castaway]

By weight: 2:2:1, mutton tallow, paraffin, beeswax. Search for Gato Feo#1. A resurrected Winchester lube from black powder days, reprinted in an NRA article in the 40’s and publicized by a cat who goes by the nom de plume Gato Feo. Works great with black powder whether patched ball, cartridge or cap and ball wad. I also use it on smokeless low velocity loads, but a friend uses it in 1,800 f/s 30-30 loads

[hc18flyer]

I have successfully used Wonder Lube for 30 years, folks on CB don't seem to much care for it? I am just about out, so I ordered some, 'Frontier's Bear Anti-Rust & Patch Lube'. We will see how it works out? Wondering how to clean out the WL from my bore. I am sure inquiring minds want to know? Once the weather warms up, we'll warm up the 'fifties'! Later, hc18flyer

[BadgerShooter]

I think I diagnosed my wild shot - I had a misfire, put on a fresh cap and fired and had the wild shot. With the nipple going directly into the powder charge, it was probably enough to bump that bullet up the bore a bit. No rings or bulges fortunately. Shot it later and it drilled right in the middle although it wasn't outside for the extended time as the previous shot. In the event, I won't be moving loaded anyway so things shouldn't get that cold. Thinking about running a chemical handwarmer in my pocket with the bullets to keep everything a bit warmer.

[BadgerShooter]

have you tried straight crisco?

As soon as the 2-3 day blizzard clears up I will give it a whirl! I used to use it all the time with the cap and ball revolvers.

[Winger Ed.]

On another forum awhile back, this same question came up for some sort of all natural BP patch lube.

As often happens....... It drifted off in a few different directions.
One guy suggested if the original poster knew anyone that groomed pedigree dogs like poodles.
The groomer has to 'express' the glands just under, and at the base of their tail.
He figured as slimy as it is, it'd probably do a good job as a patch lube.
And, it's an all natural product.

[Milky Duck]

Euwwwwwwww

[triggerhappy243]

i have successfully used wonder lube for 30 years, folks on cb don't seem to much care for it? I am just about out, so i ordered some, 'frontier's bear anti-rust & patch lube'. We will see how it works out? Wondering how to clean out the wl from my bore. I am sure inquiring minds want to know? Once the weather warms up, we'll warm up the 'fifties'! Later, hc18flyer

why stop with the wonder lube? It still available. And cheaper than the frontier.

[triggerhappy243]

as soon as the 2-3 day blizzard clears up i will give it a whirl! I used to use it all the time with the cap and ball revolvers.

i personally use bore butter. I melt it down in a repurposed canned vegetable can on the stove. Low heat just hot enough for it to go liquid. Then start dipping your pre cut patches in it. Let them cool. You can do the same with the crisco.

[triggerhappy243]

i have successfully used wonder lube for 30 years, folks on cb don't seem to much care for it? I am just about out, so i ordered some, 'frontier's bear anti-rust & patch lube'. We will see how it works out? Wondering how to clean out the wl from my bore. I am sure inquiring minds want to know? Once the weather warms up, we'll warm up the 'fifties'! Later, hc18flyer

wonderlube gets washed out everytime you clean the barrel. It is a water based lube.

[almar]

2 ounces (weight) beeswax, 1 oz (fluid)of pure neatsfoot oil and 1 oz (fluid)of murpheys soap. This is from Paul mathews and it works really well.

[BadgerShooter]

That sounds like an interesting recipe. I think I have all the ingredients here.

Wonder Lube and bore butter freeze up like a brick in my winter weather. Ok for the rest of the year.

[Rockindaddy]

My best bullet lube contains molydisulfide grease. A tube of moly grease, an equal part of beeswax, and a stick of saw blade lube(stick wax that is used to lube steel circular saw blades when cutting aluminum. I prefer Johnson's stick wax. I have 4 Star luber/sizers and three Lyman 450's. I lube and size a lot of boolits!!!! Usually make up several gallons at a time. It gets heated and poured into the sizers. Just have to wait for the mix to cool before running the luber/sizer.

[almar]

That sounds like an interesting recipe. I think I have all the ingredients here.

Wonder Lube and bore butter freeze up like a brick in my winter weather. Ok for the rest of the year.

hold on...if your talking about Paul Mathews recipe, be careful and add the murphey soap slooowly...it bubbles up and can make a mess keep the temperatures as low as possible too. My wife still uses it against me today because i did this on the stovetop.

[GL49]

hold on...if your talking about Paul Mathews recipe, be careful and add the murphey soap slooowly...it bubbles up and can make a mess keep the temperatures as low as possible too. My wife still uses it against me today because i did this on the stovetop.

What a guy. I would have suggested a video watching you make it so we could all learn a little.:bigsmyl2:

[Jeff Michel]

As mentioned in a prior post. Unsalted lard/beeswax about 50/50 but your can add more lard to make it softer.

[BadgerShooter]

We just canned up a pigs worth of lard. I may remelt my chicken fat/beeswax lube and add some lard to soften it up a bit.

[FrankJD]

GATOFEO #1 LUBE
***************

For grease grooved bullets and muzzleloader ball patches, by weight ...

1 part mutton tallow (Dixie Gun Works)
1 part canning wax (Gulf online)
1/2 part beeswax (filtered)

Melt all ingredients via double boiler (lube pot inside a water pot).

[BadgerShooter]

Shot the underhammer today with straight crisco. Best accuracy so far. 30g Swiss 3F 127 gn Maxi Ball. 1.5" at 50 yards from the bags.

[Lead pot]

It depends if your talking lube for grooved bullets or patch lube.
For over 60 years I have used just old Vaseline for patch lube. Nothing else added. It lets me load for a 25 - 30 shot ML match without having to wipe the bore to seat the ball down on the powder. It had been used since the late 1880's when it was invented. It also works very well mixed with B-Wax, Soy Wax or Ozokerite wax for the grooved or lube wads for PP.
If I chose to use lube with a GG projectile I use a mix of Soy or Oz wax softened up with vaseline and a little peanut oil.

[BadgerShooter]

Just shot a Primitive Biathlon in 14F temps. Shooting a 36 cal underhammer with Maxi style bullets. After trying a bunch of stuff, at low temps, Crisco works great. Won the match too!
During a side match, offhand at 25 and 50, I shot my 34 cal percussion gun with patched buckshot. I kept a chemical handwarmer in my pocket with my patch strip to keep the lube soft. It was a patch lube from MyFlintlocks.com. Worked well also.